The Clone Connection
by kenmadragon
Summary: Dubbilex had done more than facilitate Superboy's freedom. He gave his brother a fighting chance - the remnants of a dead man's mind. Now with memories and knowledge beyond expectation, an unpredictable hero emerges to find his own path. A Superboy Self-Insert. (On Hiatus)
1. Chapter 1 From Cadmus With Love

**Chapter 1: From Cadmus With Love**

Dubbilex was uneasy.

This was not an unusual sensation for the Cadmus genomorph; the stresses of having to work with individuals such as Desmond and Spence had proven a Herculean test of patience and self-control in the few years that Dubbilex had been alive. Not to mention the secrets the G-Goblin kept in his head, notably regarding the true extent of his powers. Desmond had already proven that revealing them was a poor idea with his manipulation of Dubbilex's G-Gnome brothers, and the subsequent enslavement of a select few to his direct desires.

True, genomorphs were free to wander much of Cadmus' underground levels, and there was little stopping Dubbilex from leading his fellow genomorphs to overpowering the token force of human guards Cadmus had in place on the surface levels, breaking free to the world above through superior numbers.

But the idea that slavery entailed physical bonds holding one in bondage was a human concept.

Theirs was a slavery of the mind.

Even if the genomorphs could organize into a horde to assault their human overseers and creators in a bid for freedom, there would inevitably be a loss of life during the battle - either on the side of Dubbilex's brothers or of the few human guards who were under the sway of the scientists at Cadmus. Breaking through forcefully would cause untold destruction and perhaps press Desmond to seal the entire facility and trap them underground forever. And once upon the surface, there would be nowhere for the genomorphs to go; Cadmus was situated within the capital of the United States of America, and while they may have been born on American soil, they were not human and could not claim the right to stay there. Their appearance was monstrous (by human standards, at least), and they would find no asylum among the humans on the surface should they claim their freedom through superior force and mind.

Besides which, the Cadmus scientists had near total control over the G-Gnomes; Dubbilex's small, telepathic brothers who Desmond used to maintain complete control over the Cadmus facilities. Where there was a G-Gnome, there was a living telepath capable of relating to Desmond and his subordinates all that it saw. A telepath that could control the minds of all those living within Cadmus' walls to do Desmond's bidding.

All minds, save that of Dubbilex.

It had not taken long for Dubbilex to realize this - and plot rebellion in secret. His advanced mind, humanoid body and, most importantly, his capability for human speech and language made him an invaluable asset to Cadmus' operations, and the development of his telekinetic abilities was enough to satisfy the curiosity of the scientists regarding his "special abilities". His telepathy remained a secret, lest Desmond order the G-Gnomes to assault his mind and forcibly assert control over Dubbilex's very thoughts. The ability to manipulate minds was the trump card Dubbilex had never dared to reveal - and the tool he utilized to execute his personal ambitions.

And it was for those ambitions that Dubbilex felt uneasy.

The genomorph beheld the unconscious form of Project Kr, the Superboy, in his pod. As soon as he had been become involved in Desmond's latest project with the Kryptonian clone (a hybrid, in truth), Dubbilex had already begun his plots and found within the latest attempt at a clone-weapon a glimmer of hope.

It had not taken long for him to formulate his plan to utilize his brother as a means of seeking freedom for his genomorph brethren. But Dubbilex could not help but worry about its chances of success. There always existed a possibility that the clone would be unable to break free of Cadmus' programming, and thus dash Dubbilex's hopes for a genomorph hero.

Dubbilex needed to alter the odds that the Superboy would shake off Cadmus' programming. And to do so without either the scientists or the security forces noticing.

His chance had come to him unexpectedly when one of the G-Dwarf type genomorphs assigned with custodial duties had notified him of an "anomaly" in one of the custodial closets in a rarely used corridor of Cadmus. Extraordinary luck had placed Dubbilex as the first being the G-Dwarf had encountered since its discovery, and after a quick investigation of the G-Dwarf's claims, Dubbilex realized he had an opportunity to "tilt the scales in his favor" as the human expression went.

With great reluctance, he utilized his telepathic abilities to alter the G-Dwarf's memories and sent it on its way before sealing the closet. Though he loathed utilizing his powers in such a manner, Dubbilex could not allow his fellow genomorph to inform any of the others about this discovery. Desmond would surely take interest in it, and the genomorph was unwilling to consider what the scientist might use it for.

The remnants of a human mind, still lingering in the realm of thoughts as a malformed psychic entity. It was fading, and fading quickly, yet possessed knowledge Dubbilex could only hope would affect the chances of his plan's success.

Project Kr had to be free… and with the knowledge the psychic remnants possessed, perhaps the clone would more easily break free of Cadmus's control.

So Dubbilex had harvested the lingering mind with his telepathy and made his plots.

Morals were social constructs of the humans' invention, and Dubbilex made no claims to abide by the same moral or ethical conventions as the humans that enslaved him, his brothers, and even other humans.

Routine maintenance of the Project Kr pods to replace the filters allowed him to get close and an explanation for the more visible aspects of his abilities. The timing was precise - when the G-Gnomes were still busy implanting thoughts and memories into the clone during its developmental phases - provided him with a means of slipping the harvested psychic remnants nearly undetected. Only Guardian was present to oversee Dubbilex and the G-Dwarves assisting him, and Guardian was incapable of realizing what Dubbilex had done.

It was fairly common for the clones to sometimes twitch and jerk slightly during these times as the memories took root in the Kryptonian's advanced mind, especially when filters were changed. Guardian suspected nothing, and so Desmond knew nothing.

And at this early stage of Project Kr's mental growth, it would allow for plenty of time for the mental remnants to be assimilated as base knowledge for the clone's own growth. Any sense of self from the dead psyche would be the same as his genomorph brother's, or so Dubbilex hoped.

But Dubbilex was certain that knowledge of the outside world and secrets beyond Cadmus' programming would give Project Kr a fighting chance at surviving the world outside in ways beyond the clone's superhuman strength. In the days that followed, he sent subtle telepathic probes to monitor the clone's progress and found that even while under the G-Gnomes' influences and Cadmus's programming to teach it its purpose, in the depths of Cadmus's underground facilities, Project Kr happily dreamt of the sun and stars.

Dubbilex held no stock in concepts like heaven and hell, and reincarnation was a yet greater concept to the genomorph, but sometimes he would muse that his actions might have been some facsimile of the latter. Another life whose memories the current could draw upon. Desmond would never suspect it, and if he could not envision the presence of these memories and thoughts in Project Kr, the scientist could not order the G-Gnomes to destroy them.

Yet still, Dubbilex was uneasy. This was a gamble unlike any he had attempted before. He could only hope that Project Kr would live up to his hopes and that his actions did not doom the clone before it could ever have a chance at becoming what it was meant to.

Dubbilex was uneasy.

But, as he reminded himself when looking at the pre-pubescent Kryptonian clone, he had hope.

And sometimes, hope was enough.

 **~ooOoo~**

Movement outside the pod.

The Superboy did not know what was beyond the limits of his womb, but his Kryptonian brain had already begun drawing itself out of rest. Reading for battle.

There had been movement beyond the pod before. Presences not his own, nor that of his teachers. Such movement and presences were normal. So to were the sounds of beings communicating and moving about the chamber. But something deep within him told the genomorph that this time was different. This time he had to defend himself.

Foreign impressions, instincts of a more feral creature, came alive within him. Mental associativities brought up basic combat protocols readily. Memories of fighting various foes were ready for recollection at a moment's notice

Was it The Superman? His Purpose?

No.

Invaders. Beyond the pod.

Animal instincts triggered in his more primitive brain. Areas associated with territory and intruders. Self-defense. Aggression. Violence.

The walls of the pods disengaged with the snap and clank of unlocking panels and the hiss of hidden pneumatics that drew the limits of his womb into the into hidden slots above and below him. The air pressure shifted about him from the sudden loss of the hermetic seals, accompanied by the dimming of the solar radiation lamps above him which augmented the absorption from his Solar Suit.

This had all happened before, but this time he would actually wake up.

This time, there were interlopers to fight.

For the moment, it was quiet beyond what had once been the limits of his pod. His hands followed instincts and flexed in preparation for battle, clenching audibly into fists.

His breathing was steady, and his body remained still as his body brought his mind to full wakefulness.

Superboy opened his eyes.

He saw three figures. Left to right: Black, Yellow, Red.

The Red one was biggest.

He attacked.

A burst of sudden speed from his vertical bed and the Superboy tackled Red. The trespasser had been caught off guard and Red's imbalance threw them into a tumble. Superboy recovered first to straddle Red. His fists landed blows to Red's head, to disorient and discombobulate, preferably to render unconscious. He only managed three before Red's allies had caught up.

Yellow had grabbed his raised arm and Black attempted a chokehold.

"Hang on, Sup-ey!"

"We're. On. Your. Side."

Superboy paid their words and attempts to restrain him equal amounts of attention - that was to say, none.

Releasing his arm was simple. Twist the wrist. Bend the elbow. Thrust. His fist crashed into Yellow and flung him off Superboy, sending him flying into one of the sealed tubes for cultivating and experimenting on alien flora and fauna. There was the cacophony of shattered glass hitting the ground and the thump of Yellow's body. Yellow didn't seem to be getting up.

Superboy ignored Black's words and struggles as he went back to pummeling Red - the clear warrior amongst them. But Black had pulled out a device the Superboy could not recognize, releasing a cloud of gas right into the genomorph's face.

It invaded his sinuses and throat. His eyes widened. Discomfort! This was a new sensation and Superboy became acquainted with coughing, hands flying to his neck… then immediately shifted to coughing into his elbow as he tried to clear the gas away from him with the other hand.

How was this possible? Wasn't breathing optional for Kryptonians? He could clearly remember memories of Superman flying unaided in space in his programming, which meant that he had no need to breathe. So why did he need to?

Red, the obvious physical threat, took advantage of his distraction to shove him away. Crashing into the console, Superboy recovered quickly from the fall, superior lung strength clearing his air-ways as he coughed into an elbow, just in time to receive taser prongs to the chest.

Amusing. He could recall Superman having been subdued by immense electrical forces before, but such efforts were only temporary. This taser was strong enough to send visible arcs of electricity through the air but barely tickled his skin.

Superboy yanked on the livewires, electricity tickling his skin as it sent Black flying towards him. The angle was improper for a lariat, sadly, so the clone made do with grabbing Black by the head and throwing the invader to the ground. Hard.

When Black struggled to rise, Superboy placed a foot on Black's chest and applied pressure. Enough to keep Black from breathing properly, but not enough to fracture the sternum. He didn't want to kill Black after all. Besides, where had that gas and taser come from?

He glanced down, frowning. Black had reached for his waist… Superboy's eyes traced Black's form as the boy squirmed. Those eyes widened at the sight of Black's waist.

A utility belt!

Immediately Superboy reached for it, fingers ghosting towards the buckle, but jerked back when he heard Red shout.

"Enough!" Superboy glanced up to see Red leaping towards him, swinging a large block of blue… something. The angle was coming from the left, angled to sweep low and knock Superboy off of Black.

Superboy attempted to lean away but was already unbalanced by bending over to grab at the utility belt. The attack hit the genomorph in the abdomen, but the angle was altered enough that instead of sending Superboy crashing into the chamber's ceiling, he hit his vertical bed instead. The crash dented the structure and he fell, reeling from the blow.

He… _actually felt that._

So that's what pain really felt like.

Superboy took a moment to actually process this sensation, frowning. Slowly getting to his feet, the genomorph turned to observe the invaders. Why had Red not pressed the assault?

It appeared Red had been too busy tending to his ally Black who soon fell unconscious as Superboy walked over.

"We are _trying_ to help you." Red stood firm, holding a hand out to Superboy. An open palm was extended towards the clone, which he recalled stood for "Stop" or "Halt".

He blinked. That was unexpected. Whatever did Red mean by _helping_ -

It was a bluff. Obviously, as Red's stance screamed combat readiness. And Red was an invader at Cadmus. Red's words were obvious lies and could not be trusted. And the Superboy had his programming.

They were intruders. Enemies. The Superboy must defeat them.

He rushed Red with a straight punch which Red side-stepped before grabbing Superboy and throwing him against a wall. Red reared back for a punch, but he waited for the dust to clear, giving Superboy enough room to catch it.

The clone jabbed at the elbow joint, but Red was surprisingly quick and managed to bend his arm out of the way, twist out of Superboy's grasp and slam a punch into his jaw.

Reeling, Superboy swung his head just in time to narrowly evade Red's follow-up. The returning elbow swipe failed to connect with Red's temple, but the kick to the abdomen did the trick and flung Red off him.

Sadly, Red immediately turned that into a tech-roll and got to his feet as Superboy leaped from the wall and swung a wild fist.

Bad idea. Red immediately punished him for the sloppy punch with a knee to the solar plexus. The pause from the jolt that caused allowed Red to defend against Superboy's counter strike. But the dodge also left him open to the quick kick that followed.

Stumbling into the other wall, Red quickly rolled out of the way of another fist that smashed into the chamber wall, sending rubble flying. Slipping behind Superboy, Red quickly caught the genomorph in a hold; it was one the clone recalled had been named a "Full Nelson".

Arms out and pressure on his neck forced Superboy to hunch over with a grunt. But even the pain on the back of his neck was only an annoyance. No, it was the sudden lighting of those black (now blue?) markings on Red's arms that alarmed the Superboy, especially when those same glowing blue arms suddenly began to electrocute the next Man of Steel.

"Hrk! Aargh!" Superboy jerked as his nerves screamed from the sensation. He twisted and tossed, trying to throw Red off, but the interloper would not let go. He raised a foot and stomped, but Red managed to shift his foot away, letting the ground crack in its place.

The lightning surged again sending a fresh wave of sensation through his body, focusing on his spine. His muscles twitched and spasmed from the flow of lightning, and Superboy had to… Shake. Red. Off.

He jumped and slammed his back into the ceiling. There was a grunt from Red and the electricity faded from the invader's arms. Sadly, Superboy dropped to the ground again, debris crashing around them. The hands behind his neck hadn't unclasped and when the genomorph turned his head, he could see Red was still conscious. Dazed, but conscious.

That worked?

Try it again then. This time, he had a more solid footing, and the crash into the ceiling was accompanied by the slipping of Red's fingers. The two fell to the ground, but Superboy landed on his feet.

Red hit the ground flat and didn't get up again.

Superboy glanced down at Red before tilting his gaze towards Black and Yellow. They did not move.

Threats neutralized.

Carefully observing the three intruders' prone forms, Superboy monitored the movement of their chests and verified that yes, they were still breathing. Good. Superman did not kill. They were simply incapacitated and would awaken in the near future, perhaps with mild concussions, assuming they were not injured internally.

Squinting his eyes, Superboy attempted to see through Black's chest with X-Ray vision, to confirm that none of Black's ribs had broken when the genomorph had pinned the intruder to the ground. He had not heard the breaking of bones. But Superboy wished to be sure.

Sadly, it didn't seem to be working. Sure, Superboy could visualize what the human skeleton looked like, and what that of Black's ought to look like based on the intruder's frame and build. But he couldn't actually see the skeleton like he ought to with his X-Ray vision.

Instead, he could easily notice his other visual abilities coming into play. He could see light spectra in ways his programming had only mentioned but never shown. Infra-vision was useful now because it let Superboy realize that Black seemed to have a heat pattern similar to the other two - though Red was somewhat colder to the genomorph's Kryptonian eyes. He was probably fine.

The level of detail he could perceive, presumably with Micro-vision, were also interesting for the moment he focused on looking at details, just to make sure Black's chest was a normal shape. This also leads to the startling discovery that not only was Black wearing a mask and cape but above the boy's heart was an emblem. Superboy leaned down and brushed the boy's cape back over the shoulder to get a better look.

Yellow "R" in a black circle.

Robin. The protege of the Batman. The Boy Wonder.

Superboy blinked owlishly then made his way to Yellow. Careful not to rouse the intruder, the genomorph flipped Yellow over onto his back.

A lightning bolt in a white circle was proudly emblazoned upon the yellow of the teenager's suit: The Flash's emblem. And judging by the exposed, red hair and yellow-red color-scheme, this was Kid Flash.

He glanced over at Red, still lying on his front. Black teenager (with powers) who associated with Robin and Kid Flash.

Cyborg?

No, that wasn't right. No cybernetics.

Well, there had been that strange electric shock that Red had tried to incapacitate Superboy with, so Red was probably Static.

Though, Red looked nothing like the Static Superboy had images of in his memories.

No matter, they were intruders, and unconscious. For a moment, the clone pondered whether he had been too hasty in apprehending them. If he had left one of them conscious, they may have answered his questions.

Questions like: Why they had intruded upon his chamber? Why wake him up? Has Superman fallen? Did the Man of Steel turn from the light?

...Was the Superboy needed?

He had no frame of reference, but judging by their state of unresponsiveness, Superboy assumed that they would not rouse soon enough to satisfy his curiosities.

Besides, this all felt strange. The Superboy was new to being awake, a clone who had finally taken his steps beyond the pod.

And yet, his first instinct was to defend himself against intruders. To fight and commit violence. To combat teenagers who were ostensibly members of a superhero organization.

Or, at least affiliated with one.

If anything, he ought to be worried about any other intruders beyond the walls of his chamber. Neither the Batman nor the Flash was here, and neither were there any other young heroes.

Except for the Superboy, of course.

Many conclusions could be drawn from this. The one the Superboy settled upon first was that there were others here, within Cadmus, and would likely be searching for these three when they failed to return. Either Superboy could trap them here with him, or allow them to leave after demanding answers to his questions.

Hopefully, this did not mean the Batman was here. Superboy had been entertaining ideas of relieving Robin of that utility belt, but now he feared what traps it may possess.

The data he had received about the Batman in preparation for his role as the next Superman had left the genomorph clone with a healthy dose of discomfort at the thought of dealing with 'Gotham's Dark Knight'.

Alternatively, Superboy mused as he stood and turned towards the chamber door, these young… heroes(?) were alone down here, and any back-up they possessed was still distant. The door was offline, powered down and locked in place. They trapped themselves in the project chamber. They they opened his pod. Unusual.

Yet that was the most likely conclusion.

Too many questions, things he needed answered. These three could supply those answers.

But could he wait?

Superboy caught his reflection in one of the remaining tubes. The white Solar Suit that supplied him solar radiation and power, even within the depths of Cadmus, seemed murky. Though still clean and white, it was a far cry from the pristine, shining images he had of himself in the simulated memories.

But it didn't stop the red emblem from standing out.

He hesitantly brushed the edges of that familiar shape and tried to speak for the first time.

"S-Su-Su," his voice was unsure, having never spoken aloud before, unused to the practice of speech, but it was alive with wonder.

Still, he tried again, making sure he was slow and clear, in awe.

" _Superman."_

He stood there for a long time, staring at the reflection in curiosity and wonder. The memories of the Superman showed him somewhat differently. The costume was the most obvious, but so was Superboy's height and age.

Superman was… well, _a man._

The genomorph clone was… _a boy_.

Was _that_ why his name was Super _boy_? Because he was not old enough to be the next Superman?

And yet, that was his purpose.

His reason for existence.

Turning from the reflection, Superboy lay his troubled eyes on the three intruders. Perhaps he should not wait. He wanted answers. He had to know what was going on and why they were here. Why he had been awoken. Whether he was needed.

He had to wake them up and -

 _No._

The Superboy had to open the sealed door and allow Cadmus security inside the chamber to retrieve the intruders. They could not be allowed to awaken or potentially escape.

He had his orders.

Superboy walked to the door and thrust his opened palms into the sealed seam. His fingers pierced and bent the sturdy metal, feeling it buckle in his hands as he shoved the vault door open with a grunt.

To the surprise of those gathered outside, Superboy stood impassively. He recognized the scientists, Doctors Desmond and Spence, who were accompanied by Cadmus's security officer, Guardian, and a G-Goblin, Dubbilex, but paid them no attention with his alert gaze staring into the middle distance.

Desmond stepped past him to look into the chamber and smiled.

The Superboy did not even register his creator's praise.

 **~ooOoo~**

 _A/N: This is an idea I've had stewing in my head for a while now; ever since I was asked how I would write a Self Insert story set in the Young Justice universe. The answer: Insert myself into Superboy. You start with an interesting and useful power-set, and no one will doubt that the clone knows weird things or acts weird. Now, the fun of it is when Superboy suddenly starts going off-script and knows things he probably shouldn't. If it wasn't obvious before, things have already started going off script and events will likely not play out as one would expect. Should be fun!_


	2. Chapter 2 From Chthonic Depths

**Chapter 2: From Chthonic Depths**

During the intruders' transport to the pods on Sub-Level 42, the Superboy expressed his quiet surprise to himself that there was no electric motif to Red's attire. In fact, it seemed that Red actually had webbing between his fingers, and gills along the side of his neck.

 _Gills_.

This confused the Superboy because that was not a common trait among enhanced individuals. Gills meant that Red was likely an Atlantean; though the genomorph recalled from his "lessons" that Atlanteans from Poseidonis did not possess obvious gills. Shayeris, then.

Still, that meant a connection to King Orin of Atlantis, the Aquaman. The symbol of the Atlantean hero was on Red's belt, after all. And considering that Black was Robin and Yellow as Kid Flash, that meant that Red was… Superboy wasn't sure.

The title of Aquaman's most notable sidekick was "Aqualad", but Superboy knew what Aqualad was supposed to look like.

Red did not look like that Aqualad.

For one, Superboy was fairly sure that Aqualad was supposed to wear red _and_ blue, and carried no weapons. His skin-tone was light and his hair was dark. He could control water, which Superboy vaguely recalled Red doing as well.

But Red used those implements on his back to shape the water and had electrical powers like those of the electric eels he could now see had been tattooed to coil down the arms. Red was dark of skin and fair of hair. He had exposed gills on his neck, and webbed hands and feet.

Vaguely, Superboy could recall another individual who might have gone by the name of Aqualad that had that darker epidermis, but that one had no visible gills or webbed appendages. Also, that one had hair arranged in dreadlocks. Usually? At least, that was what the second Aqualad looked like above water — when submerged, the Atlantean ( _half-Atlantean_ , his memories supplied) transformed into a figure that was remarkably similar to the Aqualad before him.

That made more sense, Superboy decided. Red was simply the _second_ Aqualad: the one raised on the surface, not the one from beneath the ocean's waves.

But that didn't make enough sense because their ages were all wrong.

Now that they were in their pods and Superboy had been left alone with them and his thoughts, he wondered when they would wake up. The Kryptonian clone knew that his creators did not wish these intruders to escape, but if they truly were the sidekicks of the world's heroes — and Superboy knew they were — they would endeavor to escape anyways.

He was not supposed to allow that to happen but Superboy failed to understand _why_. Keeping sidekicks captive would only draw the attention of their superhero mentors, and Cadmus was ill-equipped to deal with a sufficiently motivated super-trio. Especially if one of that number was the Batman.

Superboy suppressed a shiver.

All that Superboy could do was wait. Wait and think. Leaving him alone without any other genomorphs in the area had provided Superboy with plenty of time to ruminate and come to a few conclusions.

For one, he was reasonably sure that he didn't possess Heat Vision. Squinting really hard at a wall had done nothing more than make him annoyed, but no bursts of heat streaming from his eyes. X-Ray Vision still didn't work, and Superboy was fairly certain that he didn't have a fade-cut like in his memories.

His memories were another thing Superboy realized were… strange. He remembered a great deal of information that he was absolutely certain was given to him by the genomorphs. Not only did that include vast amounts of raw data and knowledge, but also with images, ideas, names, events, and simulations. But then there was plenty of data that was confusing. There were things he knew that did _not_ feel like the knowledge and skills imparted by the G-Gnomes. Like how he was absolutely certain he knew Kid Flash's real name.

Now, that might have been excusable, given that Superboy could recall that most of the Flash Family were fairly excitable sorts, and that super-speed could sometimes be tracked if you had the time and resources. Figuring out the identity of the Flash and his sidekick was… possible.

But then there was Robin, and Superboy felt with a cold certainty that he knew the name of the man under the Batman's cowl.

And that was a chilling thought.

 _He knew The Batman's real name._

It could not be understated how absolutely terrifying that realization was. As was the realization that he knew plenty of other secrets that were likely impossible for Cadmus to have ever known and knowledge of what could only be from fictitious realities. None of the Cadmus simulations had ever involved working with a superhero team known as the Avengers — they simply didn't exist, yet Superboy knew of them. He knew their names, their histories, personalities, and capabilities.

And yet, Superboy knew that according to the knowledge his creators had gifted him with, these individuals and their foes simply did not exist in the real world. There would be absolutely no reason for Cadmus to have programmed him with such information; it was frivolous, and would not better allow him to supplant his clone template. Could he have simply dreamed all of it up? Before, he simply experienced these thoughts and memories — both those Cadmus had programmed, and the… _others_ — but only now that he was awake did he notice the difference.

But then there was also the information about Superboy himself that was strange. Most of the memories he knew Cadmus had implanted in him portrayed things that Superboy _would_ do, and in those memories, Superboy wore his white Solar Suit.

Yet he was fairly certain he'd traveled the world, visited other planets, had a few romances, gone crazy for a little while, _died_ , woken up in the future, then traveled back in time and gone back to being a superhero. And not once had he worn that Solar Suit.

These only raised more questions for Superboy to ask, but even if he had the opportunity to ask them, the Kryptonian had no idea _how_ to ask them.

All he could do was wait for the sidekicks to wake up.

Then he could set his rudimentary plan in motion.

 **~ooOoo~**

The three sidekicks (or "junior partners" as they preferred to be called) came to with a start, gasping air as if resurfacing from a long dive. Eyes blown wide open from the sudden awakening, the three took in their surroundings.

It was telling that Kid Flash was the first to address the only other being in the room with them. The one still staring at them.

"Wh-what do you want?" he demanded with a stutter of surprise.

The clone titled his head, frowning. "Answers," was the monotone reply.

"Yeah, well I ain't talking! I've been trained to resist torture and interrogation by the Flash! You'd have better luck teaching fish to fly than get anything out of me! Do your worst!"

"Uh, KF, how about we _not_ tick off the guy who can fry us with a look?" was Robin's reply to the speedster's bluster.

The Superboy paid the posturing little mind and stepped up to the console over to the side. His eyes flickered over the displays and controls, sifting through short-term memory to recall how Guardian had engaged the cuffs and pods. Simple extrapolation easily produced the command inputs required to reverse those actions. Tap a few buttons and the pods opened, hissing as the hermetic seals were undone.

"Whuh?" muttered Kid Flash.

"I am helping you escape," Superboy answered the unspoken question.

"But… why?" Robin wondered, still fidgeting in the cuffs.

"Yeah! You just tried to kill us!" accused Kid Flash, suspicious. "Why free us now?"

"Please, Kid Flash," Aqualad interceded "It appears he was not in control of his actions."

Superboy continued to tap at the console, frowning as the cuffs on the three's arms did not unlock as he expected. Well, that didn't work. Still, there was always the simplest solution to overcoming a problem. Remove the problem entirely. The genomorph strode over to the far pod where Aqualad was still held, prompting a slight panic from the speedster. With a sudden leap, he was face-to-face with the Atlantean, studiously ignoring Kid Flash's protestations.

 _Crunch! Scrnch!_ The two cuffs were torn off with superhuman strength allowing the Kryptonian to assist the amphibian humanoid to the ground. As Aqualad regained his footing, Superboy stepped back and gave him a small smile. "Not entirely."

"Finally!" cried Robin as he leaped free of the pod, apparently having picked the locks. The Boy Wonder wrung his wrists which had chafed under the cuffs. "Lucky the Batman isn't here. He'd have my head for taking so long."

"Seriously? That's what you're worried about?" The speedster was incredulous. "The whole League will have our heads after tonight! And why am I still locked up?"

Superboy gave him a puzzled look. "I thought you would have vibrated through the cuffs by now."

" _Vibrate through the-_ " Kid Flash gaped. " _No_ , I can't do that!"

"Huh."

"Robin, let Kid Flash down." Robin nodded at Aqualad's suggestion and immediately set to freeing the speedster with a laser from his utility belt. Superboy suppressed a momentary twinge of envy at the presence of such wondrous toys. He knew perfectly well they made the boy far more dangerous than one might assume.

Aqualad regarded the clone carefully, assessing his former foe, now an apparent ally. Though grateful for having been freed, the Atlantean was still cautious: the Superboy had been responsible for their capture in the first place, even if he was now letting them loose. He had to tread these waters carefully.

"What did you mean, ' _not entirely'_?" he asked.

Superboy hesitated and looked at the walls of the chamber, matted with the material that lined every surface of Cadmus' lower levels. "I was not wholly in control. All I knew was that there were intruders — _invaders_ — in my home. My womb. I defended myself. I was… _driven_ to not show mercy, and bring you to Doctor Desmond and Guardian. I did not wish for the latter, but…"

"I understand," solemnly nodded Aqualad. "It is natural to defend oneself from strangers. Despite being on the side of the intruder this time, I can sympathize with the situation. And yet, you recognize us now… the Genomorphs taught you telepathically?"

"They taught me much," nodded Superboy. "And yet… upon awakening…"

Remembering the first words they had heard from the clone, Aqualad surmised, "You have questions."

"Yes."

Aqualad lay a light hand on Superboy's shoulder. "Then we shall endeavor to answer them, in time."

A final snapping sound drew their attention to the opening of the final cuff. "It took longer than I thought, but the Wall-man is free!" cheered Kid Flash by throwing his hands in the air. Robin shook his head wearily behind the red-head as they leaped from the pods.

"Good. Now…" Aqualad stepped beside his compatriots and faced Superboy. "I believe we have long overstayed our welcome."

"Yeah, I know Batman would love to know what's going on down here," agreed Robin.

"Then we must hurry," Superboy warned. "Desmond went to report to the Board of Directors. These pods are for extraction, and one of the researchers can show up at any time to begin the process."

"Extraction? Of what?" queried Robin.

"Source material," was all that Superboy would say before waving them to the door.

"I _really_ don't like the sound of that," Kid Flash muttered. His thoughts were shared by the other two sidekicks, who followed after the Superboy warily. Once the door was open, they rushed through the bio-lined tunnels of Cadmus' facility. Neither Robin, Aqualad, nor Kid Flash knew the way to the exit, but the Superboy had accompanied them to the cloning chamber on their way from the elevator. They had no choice but to rely on his memory to retrace their steps.

 **~ooOoo~**

Beyond the duality of attempting to be both stealthy and quick, the way to the elevator was fraught with little in the way of obstruction. Though the walls were lined with genomorph pods at this depth, none were fully formed or awakened, leading the teenagers and clone to find their path relatively clear.

Still, that did not prevent Superboy from occasionally stopping and changing directions at an apparent whim, apparently sensing things the others failed to. Overall, they spent several minutes moving quietly through the halls to sneak around any G-Dwarfs. The clone was still unwilling to test whether the sidekicks would attack any other genomorphs on sight if they ran into them. When asked about their strange, circuitous route, he used "Stealth" as an excuse.

The elevator, on the other hand, presented a slight problem.

"The elevator is the fastest way to the surface levels," Superboy explained. Robin scoffed.

"And the most obvious. Pass."

"We may not have an option. We are too far below the surface to contact the League for assistance, and the longer we remain within Cadmus, the more likely our escape shall be discovered." Aqualad glanced at the elevator. "If the elevator itself is a poor option, then we shall simply scale the shaft."

"Why contact the League?" Superboy queried, confused. "Why not the Teen Titans?"

Kid Flash raised an eyebrow. "The teen what-now?"

"Nevermind."

Kid Flash and Aqualad shared a look as Robin knelt by the wall-panel and connect his wrist-computer to the interface. Superboy noted with some curiosity the Boy Wonder's rapid attempts to access Cadmus' systems to override the elevator controls to open the doors, and carefully filed that memory away for later. Aqualad and Kid Flash stood awkwardly, glancing down the hallways lined with bio-engineered material every now and then to keep watch. That they always kept the clone within their field of vision was not unnoticed by the Superboy, who ignored the wariness.

"If you had any pressing questions, I suggest you ask them while we wait for Robin to finish," suggested Aqualad.

"Yeah, and if we don't like them, we ain't talking!"

Superboy nodded, completely ignoring Kid Flash's retort. After a moment of consideration and staring into Cadmus' walls, he turned to the speedster and Atlantean and asked the question that would shape the rest.

"Is the Superman dead?"

The teens were struck. Kid Flash's mouth hung open, spluttering, struggling to formulate a response. The Superboy wondered if the young speedster had somehow been struck dumb, though Aqualad's silent shock, eyes wide with horror, put rest to that hypothesis. Even Robin's fingers had frozen in their work, the singular question proving an unignorable distraction.

Still, Robin managed to recover his cool first. "No… Why would you ask that?"

Superboy frowned and shook his head. Then his body straightened, his expressions became neutral, and the emotion drained from his figure as he spoke monotonously, "I am the Superboy, a genomorph, a clone made from the DNA of the Superman. Created to replace him should he perish. To destroy him should he turn from the light."

Silence fell at that declaration. Kid Flash had taken an involuntary step back at the tone and posture, reminded of only recently when the Kryptonian had attacked and beaten them. Robin and Aqualad were more careful in their reactions, but the clone still noticed their shock: that seemed to be a trend amongst these three. Superboy turned his gaze away, but not enough to stop Aqualad from noticing the conflict in the clone's eyes.

"To be like Superman is a worthy aspiration," Aqualad consoled diplomatically. "But Superman is neither dead nor has he turned… _dark._ "

"Then I was not woken to fulfill my Purpose," Superboy surmised aloud. This confirmed his earlier suspicions. Despite himself, the Kryptonian couldn't help but feel disappointed and conflicted at the thought. He didn't need to be awake then

"No, but like Superman, that does not mean you cannot still find purpose. Purpose and a life beyond that Solar Suit. Beyond your pod. Beyond Cadmus."

"Yeah," Kid Flash was quick to jump onto this train of thought. "I mean, have you ever been outside before? Seen the sky or felt the wind?"

The clone shook his head. "Never. Merely images, implanted in my mind. Dreams and simulations."

"Well, come with us, then." Robin smiled cheerily. "We can show you the sun. The real one."

"Uh, pretty sure it's after midnight," Kid Flash brightly corrected. "But we can show you the moon!"

Superboy rolled his eyes but still smiled. "I would like that."

"Then we shall make our way to the surface. Together." Aqualad said, pressing the emblem at his belt. "We are still unable to contact the League this deep underground, despite being near the elevator shaft. Robin, what is the status on the elevator?"

"Working on it, Kaldur. Looks like it's currently got a few of those big monsters inside, and facing those would _not_ be asterous."

"Asterous?"

"It's a thing he does," Kid Flash explained to the confused Superboy. "Messing with words."

Superboy nodded unsure before glancing at Aqualad. "Robin called you Kaldur… Are you not Aqualad?"

"Whoops," Robin winced.

"I am known as Aqualad on the surface world, but that is merely a title. A code name, if you will, in honor of my King, who goes by Aquaman." explained the Atlantean. "My birth name is Kaldur'ahm."

Superboy frowned, "Kaldur'ahm? Then those weapons on your back: water-bearers? For Atlantean water-sorcery?"

"How'd you know that?" Kid Flash had raised a curious eyebrow behind his mask.

"As I said, the G-Gnomes taught me much. Not everything, but much." The clone glanced away. "Other things, I reasoned. Intuited. I am a clone, not a machine."

"How? You were practically comatose when we found you down in that pod."

Superboy scowled. "Even clones can dream."

"Sorry," Kid Flash ducked his head, abashed from the glare the Kryptonian sent his way.

"Peace, Superboy. Kid Flash meant no harm." Aqualad offered. Superboy scoffed but rolled his eyes, accepting the apology.

"Still, I was a little surprised you would go by Kaldur'ahm amongst teammates, Aqualad," Superboy explained. Kid Flash arched a red eyebrow behind the mask, laughing.

"It's his name. What else would he go by?"

Superboy did not answer, glancing at the elevator door. The emotion had vanished from his face, a neutral slate like he had slept with, but Aqualad could still see that tempestuous thoughts still lurked in the depths of the Kryptonian's eyes. "Elevator's here," the clone stated.

"Yup! And I used the spare time to get all sorts of intel for Batman!" Robin cackled, unplugging his glove-computer from the console. The doors let out a low chime, and with the tap of Robin's keyboard, slid open.

The sidekicks and genomorph clone stepped quickly into the elevator car, but only the three sidekicks did not turn and face the doors as they slid closed behind them. Slightly confused, the Kryptonian glanced at the other three, noting how they were all facing the doors. Or rather, Aqualad was, wary about the confined space while Kid Flash rocked on the balls of his feet, facing the sealed doors. Robin just turned towards the inner-console while still fiddling on that computer projected form his arm.

Right, this was one of those "etiquette" things. Casually turning to face the sealed door of the elevator shaft, Superboy gave himself a minute nod at their lack of comment about his hesitation to comply with "etiquette". Robin's smirk drew his attention, as was continuously scrolling data that streamed across multiple windows on the interface of his computer.

"What sort of data are you collecting…" he asked worriedly.

"Oh, just the basics." Robin shrugged. "There's not much I can access without physical access to the server, but there's enough that I _can_ get to and give Batman a better idea of what we're dealing with. Then Batman investigates the rest."

Superboy stiffened at the mention of the Bat. Unfortunately for the Kryptonian, Aqualad noticed. "What issue do you have with the Batman?"

"None." The answer was curt and immediate.

Robin turned to face Superboy with what the clone could only classify as a "shit-eating grin". Why his programming felt the term and ability to identify it was useful knowledge escaped him. All the clone could do was steel himself for the questioning that was sure to follow.

"Cadmus programmed you with knowledge about him, didn't they?" the Boy Wonder teased. Superboy studiously avoided meeting the smaller boy's gaze. That just made Robin's smirk even wider.

"Ooh, what _do_ you know about the Batman?" Kid Flash leaned in, eager for details.

"Kid Flash, please," sighed the Atlantean. He was about to further chastise the speedster when Robin cut in, "No, no, I'm all ears. Do go on."

Superboy looked between the three of them. Aqualad was still uneasy about the idea of simply probing Superboy for the knowledge that he had been programmed with, while the other two seemed to think of it as some sort of game. That was all well and good; however, Superboy's knowledge of the Batman went beyond the mere simulations that related to Superman's interaction with the Batman and the (as expected) protocols for the negation of the Batman as a threat. Granted, from what information — both simulation-imbedded and not — that Superboy had about the infamous Dark Knight, he was _highly_ skeptical regarding his chances of being able to take down the infamous Batman.

And maybe playing along would further engender their trust with him, allowing him to ask further questions to make some sense of the knowledge he possessed.

"The Dark Knight, and Guardian of Gotham: Batman is a member of the Justice League and occasionally considered 'The World's Greatest Detective'." Superboy had dropped into a bored monotone as he repeated the stock information that Cadmus had programmed him with. Well, the information he was certain came from the G-Gnome programs Cadmus had designed, he qualified. "Originally a street-level vigilante, the Batman has cultivated an extensive rogue's gallery since his debut in Gotham, and possesses no super-human powers beyond an incredible intellect, extensive training, and advanced technology."

Okay, so some of it was pulling from the other, stranger memories, but Superboy reasoned that if anyone called him out on the details, it would help answer some questions without having to directly ask anyone. Besides, mentioning the Batman's description reminded Superboy of the multitude of gadgets stored in his utility belt… as well as the belt he had recently attempted to pilfer from Robin. Perhaps it was best no one knew about that.

"' _World's Greatest Detective'_?" Kid Flash scoffed. "Wow, ego much?"

"Journalists get a little excited sometimes…" Robin muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes behind the mask. "Besides, that's stuff anyone who pays attention to the news or has taken a Hall of Justice tour could tell you. Got anything else?"

Superboy shifted uneasily. He didn't want to give away too much, especially given how unsure he was of the memories he possessed. Who knew if those images and fragments of knowledge beyond the simulations he knew were Cadmus' gift could be trusted? It was a risky proposition to rely on such data, especially since their origin was unclear. Nevertheless, they were his memories and now was not to time to debate this dilemma. Robin and Kid Flash looked at him expectantly, and despite his superficial lack of approval for this line of questions, Aqualad seemed just as invested.

Maybe something frivolous would be sufficient?

"Well, there _is_ another thing I know," he muttered before his posture shifted, ignoring "etiquette" to turn and face the others. Dropping from his straight-backed stance, Superboy's shoulders hunched dramatically and his face twisted into a snarling rictus, eyes burning with cold fury.

"I am Vengeance," Superboy growled, his voice dropping an octave. Robin startled at the sound of it, eyes blown wide behind the mask. The impersonation was so shockingly accurate, the boy thought his mentor was right next to him in that elevator.

"I am the Night."

Kid Flash whimpered.

" _I… am BATMAN!_ "

 **~ooOoo~**

As the four stepped from the elevator, Superboy felt slightly embarrassed. Kid Flash and Aqualad remained unnerved by his attempt at mimicry. Robin had simply been frozen for the span of roughly four and a half heart-beats before _giggling_. Then he had begun _cackling_.

Superboy hadn't been aware Robins were _able_ to cackle. Chuckle, sure, but _cackle_? Judging by the looks Aqualad had given the shorter boy, it appeared that this was news to the Atlantean as well.

"Dude, chill, it wasn't _that_ funny," grumbled Kid Flash.

"It _really_ was."

"Enough. We have arrived at the surface levels," interjected Aqualad. "Now, we can contact the League."

"Right," Robin sobered and he tapped at his glove-computer. Aqualad tapped at the Aquaman-symbol on his waist and Kid Flash had pressed one of the lightning bolts by his ears.

"Kid Flash to Flash, Kid Flash to Flash, do you copy?" Kid Flash said into the empty air. Superboy gave Aqualad and Robin a curious look.

"Do neither of you need to call your…mentors?"

Robin chuckled. "Why call, when you can text?"

Aqualad sighed instead. "My buckle only serves to alert my liege of my position."

Superboy mused on this as they moved through the surface floor of Project Cadmus. He had never been up here, yet knew the layout perfectly well. Likely another gift of G-Gnome programming.

"No answer," Kid Flash mused as they entered the building's main atrium before drawing short at the sight before them. Robin's smirk vanished. The three sidekicks had only seen the atrium from the outside, but all of them recalled that from their efforts to assist the firefighters earlier that the atrium had had large glass windows along its front and sides with massive glass doors and walls along the front entrance.

Now, the glass windows and doors were barred with heavy metal plating that would not have looked out of place in a bomb shelter.

"Comms are jammed," Robin snarled at the confirmation from his wrist-computer. "They know we're up here!"

"Indeed."

The entry to every hallway in and out of the atrium came alive as heavy blast-doors slammed into place, blocking off all escape. The ceiling lights flickered to a sinister red and every visible security camera swiveled to focus on the group of four.

"It's a trap!" Kid Flash shouted as he zipped over to the front doors and started hammering on each of the metal barriers, trying to find a way out. Unbidden, the image of a red-skinned, dome-headed fish-person came to mind in Superboy's thoughts. He shook it away and clenched his fists in readiness. Aqualad glanced about for any immediate threats, drawing out of his water-bearers. The Atlantean stepped away from the others, forming two sabers of glimmering blue water from his pack to guard.

"Calm, Kid Flash! We need to-" he called before Robin cut him off with a point to the shadows cast by the ominous crimson glare and the reinforced stone pillars that lined the atrium's length.

"Look out!" Motion exploded from behind the pillars and the ceiling with the flash of G-Elf claws descending upon the group from the cover of the alarm lights.

None of them were able to muster a defense before they were assaulted with the sensation of being burned by ice, vignettes from eight different movies being played upside down and backwards, heavy metal renditions of classical operas, thousands of overlapping mathematical equations for non-Euclidean mathematics, the entirety of the Lorem Ipsum document text rendered in Comic Sans, the scent of freshly baked pastries covered in garbage, the taste of ash and paprika, and the concept of nonsense being injected directly into their minds.

 **~ooOoo~**

 _A/N: So, it's been a while since I posted the first chapter. I actually had most of this written, oh, several months ago, but never got around to finishing it up. But with Season 3 due to be airing really soon… I felt the urge to revisit and get back to writing again. I had so many ideas and plans for this story, it'd be a shame if they were never fully panned out._

 _Also, Happy New Year!_


End file.
